How do you train yourself to eat more?

Options
sammyperrey
sammyperrey Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have always been one to eat just once a day (yes I am fully aware this is not good for you but it is how my hunger and schedule cycles naturally work). As I try to get in shape I find that I can manage to force down a protein shake for breakfast if I use a straw and sneak in a meal replacement bar at lunch. It is an effort but I can make it happen. For dinner I tend to do baked fish and veggies. However, these generally only add up to like 750 calories. Fatty unhealthy foods have made me fat and unhealthy, but healthy items don't have enough calories to get me to the daily minimum which puts my body into starvation mode. I have tried forcing myself to eat more throughout the day, but it just isn't something that I can maintain every day. I've tried green tea and metabolism boosting vitamins, but I'm still not hungry throughout the day and every snack is a struggle.
Am I the only person with this struggle? Any advice on how to either change my hunger patterns or teach my body it's not starving?

Replies

  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Options
    Eating once a day is fine, as long as you are getting enough nutrients in that one meal. There is no reason to force yourself to eat when you aren't hungry.

    No such thing as metabolism boosting vitamins. Don't waste your money.

    Starvation mode is a myth. If you are not losing weight, you are eating too much. Unless you are using a food scale, you are likely under estimating how much you are eating.
  • phrunch
    phrunch Posts: 115 Member
    Options
    When you say high fat foods made you fat, what exactly do you mean?

    I'm concerned that "fat" for you, wouldn't be considered fat by many other people and there are some underlying food issues happening here.
  • sammyperrey
    sammyperrey Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I'm 5ft tall 183 pounds. I have a mildly physical job where I average 5,000 steps a day. I got into bad eating habits in the last two years where I was eating out more often and had lots of carbs and cheeses. All of which was the only meal of the day. I tried packing lunches and rarely got around to eating them between being busy and not hungry.

    Now I've started doing jillian Michaels 30 day shred every morning and I've been making dinner at home. This week was 2 salmon tacos with low carb tortillas, cabbage, guac, and salsa. This app calculates that at like 450 calories. With that I am satiated. But this site and everyone around me says that's too few calories and so I don't know in what way I should be adding additional calories that feels natural and maintainable for me.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    Options
    Fatty foods don't cause fat gain just like "healthy" items don't cause weight loss. I'd suggest reading up on a few basic nutrition articles. And if your view of fatty foods make you too fat and healthy foods make you too thin, then why not split them 50/50 and create balance lol
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Options
    Do you have a food scale and are you weighing ALL your food? If not, you are eating more than you think.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,642 Member
    Options
    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    Fatty foods don't cause fat gain just like "healthy" items don't cause weight loss. I'd suggest reading up on a few basic nutrition articles. And if your view of fatty foods make you too fat and healthy foods make you too thin, then why not split them 50/50 and create balance lol

    But, you know, weigh the foods and log them cuz....science. :p
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Options
    You do not have to eat breakfast or eat throughout the day. Get your calories in one or two meals.
    Add fats and oils so that you get enough daily calories.
    See these groups: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/20634-omad-revolution

Categories